Matthew Bell

The rise of groomzilla

It’s not just brides-to-be who can fuss absurdly

issue 11 June 2016

We had been engaged for maybe three weeks before it became apparent I’d be the one throwing hysterical wedding-related hissy fits. In no time, I had turned from a reasonable sort of chap into a wailing, screaming princeling, demanding white-gloved waiters, palm trees and a grand entrance by vintage Rolls-Royce. Like the hideous creature that pops out of John Hurt in Alien, so groomzilla was born.

At least, this is according to my soon-to-be wife. My soon-to-be mother-in-law now refers to me as The Dauphin, and there was a tussle over zebras. My point was, why shouldn’t we have a few scattered around the lawn, serenely grazing in the background, as 500 of our closest friends awaited my arrival, I mean, our arrival?

Of course, it was all a joke, since like most British men I consider myself to be extremely laidback and could not care less about zebras. ‘You must do whatever you like’ is a phrase I think I use a lot.

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